Week 38 (12/13/10 - 12/19/10) by Staff

Hot Hands - Greg Bowden
Greg tops off the year with four wins. Greg had 143 wins this year in Maine compared to 55 in 2009. The Redcoat had a great year!
Hot Hooves - VASVIXEN N
Finishes the year with a win, a total of 16 wins this season for the 9 year old from the Gray Stable
Hot Barn - Louis Gasbarro, III
Has three winners on the weekend including stable favorite DITCHEM CASEY, classy campaigner ART BY KEENE and new addition PARADISE MAGOO

Week 37 (12/06/10 - 12/12/10) by Steven Wilson

Hot Hands - Shawn Gray
Only missed the board 3 times this week, what a UDR he has!!!
Hot Hooves - THAACARTHEESO
Winner of six in a row!!!! Freddy's got this one going in the right direction.
Hot Barn - Randy Bickmore
Can you beat this guy on the track?? His barn is so HOT the he might go to jail for arson!!!

Week 36 (11/29/10 - 12/05/10) by Staff

Hot Hands - Shawn Gray
Six wins, four 2nd's and three 3rd's for the weekend, not shabby sitting 2nd nationally in the UDRS race.
Hot Hooves - MALEK HANOVER
Third win in a row in the FFA, this week over a sloppy track in 1:58.0
Hot Barn - Randy Bickmore
Eleven starters all hit the board, with six winners, four hit the place spot, and one gets the show.

Week 35 (11/22/10 - 11/28/10) by Staff

Hot Hands - Michael Cushing
Sits behind six starters and delivers three of them to the winner's circle, including WIN THE WEST, the last horse to go in the ring at Harrisburg
Hot Hooves - SJ'S CHARACTER
Wire to Wire in 1:55.4 with Campbell in the bike, second big mile in a month from his new barn.
Hot Barn - David White
Three winners for the week from four starters, including BACK SPIN, LYSISTRATA, & winner of 13 this year, SHAGON AGAIN

Week 34 (11/15/10 - 11/21/10) by Staff

Hot Hands - Jason MacDougall
Jason comes back from his fall trip to Colonial Downs and post two winners on the weekend.
Hot Hooves - MALEK HANOVER
Grabs his second win in the Free For All at Scarborough in the last three weeks.
Hot Barn - Timothy Nehila
Gets two winners this weekend, one with Philo Beddoe and another one with Super Sidney C, who has been 4-3-2 in his last 10 starts.

Week 33 (11/08/10 - 11/14/10) by Staff

Hot Hands - Heath Campbell
Before he left for the sunny skies of Florida, Heath finished up the Bangor Fall Meet with 10 wins, taking the driving championship at Bangor for the third year in a row.
Hot Hooves - J C LOU BENJAMIN
In what was the fastest day of racing ever for a day in November, Saturday's card at Scarborough produced some very fast miles, highlighted by JC's eighth win in a row, this one his fastest in 1:55.3.
Hot Barn - Charles Symes
Grabs the training title for Bangor's Fall Meet with 11 wins; he was 2-2-1 from six races this week.

Week 32 (11/01/10 - 11/07/10) by Guest Columnist Cory Byers

Hot Hands - Steven Nason
Promising young driver had some nice wins this week including both ends of the double on Friday...Congrats!
Hot Hooves - S J'S CHARACTER
Well bred 5 year old pays instant dividends off claim, he went a sizzling mile in 1:54.2 on Saturday...WOW!.
Hot Barn - Randy Bickmore
10 wins including above mile gives this trainer back to back honors...winning in bunches is his specialty (4 on Sat.).

Week 31 (10/25/10 - 10/31/10) by Staff

Hot Hands - Ivan Davies
From nine starts, Ivan had three winners and a place finish for the week.
Hot Hooves - HAD TO BE ME
Four Year Old Gelding owned by Kevin & Benjamin Hebert grabbed his third win in a row for the Joe Nelson Stable.
Hot Barn - Randy Bickmore
Last week he had seven wins and he follows that up this week with seven more and gets his 100th training victory of the season in Maine. Also having a good week was Joe Nelson who went 3-1-1 from six starts.

Week 30 (10/18/10 - 10/24/10) by Staff

Hot Hands - James Hardy
His once a week jaunts up from Plainridge paid off this week as he steered five winners and a third place finish from ten starts on Saturday's Scarborough card.
Hot Hooves - TOUGH BROAD
Claimed for $2,000 at Farmington, she has won four straight in her new barn, this week a victory in the $5K claimers ranks in 2:02.4. Kudos also to Victory Tax who took the track record for four year old trotting geldings in 1:59.4
Hot Barn - David Crochere
Shorty's having one of his best years, this week his stock visited the winners circle four times from eight starts.

Week 29 (10/11/10 - 10/17/10) by Staff

Hot Hands - Heath Campbell
This was a hard week - Gray n Drew both had six wins, Ivan and Mark both earned Final victories, Bartlett gets a win and a second in stakes action, and Switz has a driving triple on Saturday. But the nod goes to Heath, who had a fine week with one win and two thirds in the Stakes Finals plus four more wins in overnight races and he averaged $2,666 per start for the week
Hot Hooves - PEMBROKE NICK
As the class of 2010 graduate from the Maine Sire Stakes Program, the toughest of the four divisions had to be the three year old colt pacers. Pembroke Nick came from sixth at the half and was able to overcome Hooper deep in stretch to take the victory in 1:57.3.
Hot Barn - Kevin Switzer
Ron Dinsmore (5 wins), Shawn Gray and Stan Whittemore (3 wins each) had good weeks, but kudos to Switzer for getting the win and place in the three year old filly pacing final.

Week 28 (10/04/10 - 10/10/10) by Guest Columnist Heidi Rohr

Hot Hands - Heath Campbell
Congrats on career victory number 3,500!! Also the leading the driver for the week with 12 wins. Also want to give a shout out to Greg Bowden for a big week at the Burg as well!
Hot Hooves - CURRENT CHIP
This undefeated filly has not been given the 'Hot Hooves' title yet this year.......so I gotta give props to the connections here.....she achieved her 12th consecutive win this week in Sire Stakes action....her 20th lifetime win.....just unreal! The Richards, Dillon & Athearn connections also earned the Trotting track record at Fryeburg with SEASIDE, a mare beating the boys, in 1:59.1.
Hot Barn - Sherry Cushing
Team Cushing had a big week hitting the board 6 out of 8 starts.....4 of them getting their picture taken. Love to see these connections rock the Burg.......as a 'fan in the stands' nothing beats Mike Cushing calling the races for the week!! It also was a huge week for Team Dinsmore, going 11 for 16 on the ticket with 5 of them visiting the winners circle. Turning Pro won both his starts impressively! Congrats!

Week 27 (9/26/10 - 10/3/10) by Guest Columnist Lewis Gray

Hot Hands - Drew Campbell
13 Wins, 11 Seconds & 6 Thirds hitting board 30 out of 46 starts for a 459 UDR.
Hot Hooves - TOWN FOOL
Goes two for two Tuesday, and back Saturday.
Hot Barn - Steve Vafiades
Wins 6 out of 8 starts for a .750 average, barn heating up to make run at MHHA trainer of the year title

Week 26 (9/19/10 - 9/25/10) by Guest Columnist Kyle Gibbs

Hot Hands - Charlene Cushing
Charlene used her home track to post a UDRS of .451. From 16 starters she drove 6 winners including Dream Well in the feature.
Hot Hooves - RUPERT RUPERT
One of the toughest horses to ever race in Maine, he paced the back half of his mile in 57.1 to win in the fastest time of the week 1:56.2.
Hot Barn - Donald Richards
The Classy Veteran had a fantastic week. Current Chip remained undefeated, winning for the tenth time this year and Seaside set a new all age track record of 1:58.2. Congrats.

Week 25 (9/13/10 - 9/18/10) by Guest Columnist Jay Burns

Hot Hands - Mark Athearn
The Middle English origin of the name "Athearn" is "at the stones," but let's amend that to "at the lead" as Mark Athearn wins five races from 11 drives this week. (I was going to give this to my brother, Brewster, for 2 wins from a few drives at his home-town track, but he was out of the money with my money on him Saturday.)
Hot Hooves - SEASIDE
Seaside's 1:57.4 sets the Oxford trot track record, so now the Northern Maine Fair, Bangor, Oxford, Scarborough and, of course, the old kite track at Old Orchard Beach (Greyhound's 1:57 1/2) have trot marks tightly clustered in the 1:57s. Give Rodeo Du Ruisseau a nod for setting Oxford's pace mark with a 1:54.3 win, as pilot Drew Campbell wakes up the gelding by running over the track drag during the post parade.
Hot Barn - Gretchen Athearn
This week's Hot Hands go hand in hand with the week's Hot Barn as Gretchen Athearn winning four from eight starts. Observer Greg Bowden notes that the Athearn barn is a rock-steady operation that emerges in the fall as other stables get a bit tuckered. Michael Hitchcock gets a nod with four wins from 13 starts. Bowden, who drives for Hitchcock, says the trainer does what must be done to keep a large operation sharp. "You have to anticipate what each horse will need. Fix the problem even before it's even a problem," Bowden says.

Week 24 (9/07/10 - 9/12/10) by Guest Columnist Scott MacKenzie

Hot Hands - Shawn Gray
Eleven wins this week, enough said.
Hot Hooves - BARBRA ANN
State record, 10 wins this season, unbelievable filly
Hot Barn - David Crochere
Five wins for the week including THENOR'EASTERBEAST, eight wins from nine starts including the finals

Week 23 (8/29/10 - 9/06/10) by Guest Columnist Kristen Bartlett

Hot Hands - Heath Campbell
Heath just wanted to visit me in the winner's circle yesterday, that's why he won three races in a row!!!
Hot Hooves - VICTORY TAX
Breaks the track record for 4 year old geldings at Windsor  by a full second in 1:58.1. It was also a state record
Hot Barn - Basil & Michael Huff
Bangor based brothers had three wins from eight starts, impressed with WANNAHUCKALOOGI's 1:56.1 trip Sunday, her second win of the week.

Week 22 (8/22/10 - 8/28/10) by Staff

Hot Hands - Joey Mosher
Seven wins in the last two weeks from 19 starts and a driving average of .474 for those two weeks.
Hot Hooves - GRACIE GRACIE
New lifetime mark of 1:54.4, if SHADY SABRINA wasn't around she'd still own the state mark for fastest mare.
Hot Barn - Kevin Switzer
Gets two state records in one week with BARBRA ANN, two year old filly in 1:58.1 and Shady Sabrina, aged mare in 1:53.1, both at Scarborough.

Week 21 (8/15/10 - 8/21/10) by Staff

Hot Hands - Kevin Switzer
Grabs five wins on Sunday at Scarborough, sixteen wins for the week
Hot Hooves - RODEO DU RUISSEAU
Captures the Hight Invitational at Skowhegan in the fastest mile ever in Maine 1:52.3, fun race to watch. Also, kudos to CRANMEADOW EXPRESS, his 2:02.2 trip at Skowhegan was a state record for two year old gelding trotters.
Hot Barn - Adrian Wisher
While everyone was trucking to Skowhegan, the Delaware transplant stayed at Scarborough and racked up 5  wins and a second for the week.

Week 20 (8/08/10 - 8/14/10) by Staff

Hot Hands - Heath Campbell
Smart drive in Ricci rewarded with win with PEMBROKE PRAYER in Maine's richest race; 14 wins on the week and a .442 UDRS tops in state.
Hot Hooves - SATURDAYNITEDANCER
Ties Season Leaders mark for three year old pacing fillies for stakes win at Scarborough in 1:58.2, poised to take lead in the division.
Hot Barn - Bernard Charlton
Three wins and two seconds from six starts including SOS DAYDREAMER who set a track record for four year old mares at Topsham Fair.

Week 19 (8/02/10 - 8/07/10) by Staff

Hot Hands - Drew Campbell
Eight wins this week is tops in the state, 14 last two weeks, slowly climbing the driving ranks after his mid season break.
Hot Hooves - PEMBROKE SPICE
Now the fastest trotter in the State of Maine after a 1:57.2 mile over a very fast Northern Maine Fair Track. Did you have to look twice like I did?
Hot Barn - Douglas Beckwith
Five starts for the week, three visits to the winner's circle, two runner-ups.

Week 18 (7/26/10 - 8/01/10) by Staff

Hot Hands - Heath Campbell
Six wins, two seconds and three third in sixteen starts for a .507 UDRS.
Hot Hooves - MR NICE GUY
Been fighting the top class all year without any luck until the Ireland clan goes home to Presque Isle and takes the Northern Maine Fair all age track record in 1:55.2.
Hot Barn - Chris Johnson
Two wins at Presque Isle and a second place with Chris handling the reins! Congrats to the county boy.

Week 17 (7/19/10 - 7/25/10) by Guest Columnist Butch Eaton

Hot Hands - Russell Wing
Wins with the old horse and congrats to all the boys in that race. Wal-Mart ran out of heating pads after that one was over.
Hot Hooves - DOUBLESHOTASCOTCH
Have to acknowledge his Bunyan win, a very very nice animal, but runner up you have to notice Lily Langtree in her 1:55.4 mile at Bangor. Nice job to both.
Hot Barn - Ivan Davies
A lot of stakes and overnight wins from a small barn. Hard work does pay off.

Week 16 (7/12/10 - 7/18/10) by Guest Columnist Wendy Ireland

Hot Hands - Mark Athearn
Three wins in the trotting ranks of the sire stakes, plus three wins out of the family barn.
Hot Hooves - BARBRA ANN
This promising young sire stakes filly would make the Beach Boys proud.
Hot Barn - Kevin Switzer
Another great week for the Switzer Stable, winning the Mid Summer Classic with Shady Sabrina.

Week 15 (7/05/10 - 7/11/10) by Guest Columnist Chris Nye

Hot Hands - Robert Dinning
He's had a hot week with nine wins, six on Saturday at Bangor
Hot Hooves - TRICK THE YANKEE
Five wins in a row, he's hot right now.
Hot Barn - Valerie Grondin
She's got stakes horses winning plus DOUBLESHOTASCOTCH wins the Midsummer Classic Elim.

Week 14 (6/28/10 - 7/04/10) by Guest Columnist Heath Campbell

Hot Hands - Greg Bowden
Drove like he was 25 again this week, capturing six winners on Saturday's Bangor card.
Hot Hooves - SHADY SABRINA
Best mare on the east coast. She sent that horse packing back to Yonkers, I'm told.
Hot Barn - Kevin Switzer
Hard work paid off.

Week 13 (6/21/10 - 6/27/10) by Guest Columnists David & Robyn Crochere

Hot Hands - Shawn Gray
12 wins, twice he had grand slams. Note: Diamond Drew will be back on Thursday after a 78 day layoff and is ready to "SENDEM"
Hot Hooves - SHADY SABRINA
Three straight FFA events and beat the boys in the Mid-Summer Classic on Saturday in track record time 1:55.
Hot Barn - Kevin Switzer
Won 7 races including Winners Over at Bangor and Mid Summer Classic at Scarborough. He also had impressive 2 year old winners.

Week 12 (6/14/10 - 6/20/10) by Staff

Hot Hands - Robert Dinning
Back in the sulky after a little break, gets nine winners on the week, including a five-bagger at Bangor on Saturday, four of them in a row.
Hot Hooves - IT WAS AN HONOR         
Wins the final of the Rising Star Late Closing Series at Scarborough in 1:55.4. Switz has had her for three starts getting two wins and a third.
Hot Barn - Joey Mosher
Has handed over the reins to Ron Cushing to compete at Bangor and was 3 for 3 this week, has won 8 of last 10 starts as a trainer!

Week 11 (6/07/10 - 6/13/10) by Guest Columnist Gretchen Athearn

Hot Hands - Shawn Gray
I hate to pick the same driver as every week but he had 16 wins last week the next closest is Ron Cushing with 10 wins.
Hot Hooves - RIPPLE IRONSTONE
She's on fire 4 in a row, love the cheaper class mares!
Hot Barn - Stanley Whittemore
Four wins on three days of racing, he's starting to gain momentum so beware

Week 10 (5/31/10 - 6/06/10) by Guest Columnist Michael Hitchcock

Hot Hands - Ron Cushing
Seems when he first arrived back to Maine, he bumped and pushed his way around the oval. Seems this week he has settled in, six wins, five seconds. Congrats on a good week.
Hot Hooves - WISH ALL YOU WANT         
Wins the late closer final impressively in 1:56.4 in Bangor, then comes right back for repeat victory in Rising Star Series at Scarborough in 1:56 flat. Congrats to the Dillon's. Nice Mare.
Hot Barn - Plum Crazy Racing Stable (Ron Dinsmore)
Five starts, four trips to the winner's circle! What a CRAZY DUO to compete. Congrats!

Week 9 (5/24/10 - 5/30/10) by Guest Columnist Philip "Bo" Sowers

Hot Hands - Shawn "The King" Gray
16 wins this week, 2,000th career victory, enough said.
Hot Hooves - FRANCO CATAPULT N           
Clean sweep of the Dirigo Series at Scarborough.
Hot Barn - Michele Bowen
Sumner recruits from Canada to get some Maine wins.

Week 8 (5/17/10 - 5/23/10) by Staff

Hot Hands - Shawn Gray
Twenty wins for the week, no one else was in double digits. National leader for UDRS with .478 for drivers under 300 drives.
Hot Hooves - ARDENS HIGHLANDER           
Grabs his fourth win this year from six starts, this week in a season's best 1:56.4 for trainer Richard Belisle and driver Steve Nason
Hot Barn - Steven Vafiades
Four wins, a second, and two thirds for a .475 UTRS including AMERICAN VILLAGE in the FFA-2 at Scarborough in 1:57.3

Week 7 (5/11/10 - 5/16/10) by Staff

Hot Hands - Scott MacKenzie
Bangor's Season started this week and MacKenzie was the first to see the winner's circle, ended the week 9-2-2-1 for a .383 UDRS.
Hot Hooves - CHIANAGLIA   
Finds the winner's circle in his fifth start of the season touring the Scarborough oval in a nice 1:56.2 trip for Shane Taggart and conditioner Butch Eaton.
Hot Barn - Shawn Gray
Three divisions of the Dirigo Late Closer at Scarborough all won by entries from the Shawn Gray Stable, add a second and a third for a .648 UTRS.

Week 6 (5/07/10 - 5/09/10) by Staff

Hot Hands - Kevin Switzer
Seven wins for both Gray and Switzer, Kevin takes over second place in the driver standings at Scarborough, even though he started later in the season.
Hot Hooves - THEBANDFROMBOSTON   
Stakes Champion has been consistent, grabbing her third win in three weeks, 2:02.1; 2:02.0; and this week in 2:02.0.
Hot Barn - Dick Robertson, Sr.
Three trips to the paddock, two winners and a close second. Having a good season so far, sporting a .451 UTRS.

Week 5 (4/30/10 - 5/02/10) by Staff

Hot Hands - Heath Campbell
We saw some "non-regulars" hit the winner's circle this week like Brian Blanchard, Rusty Lanpher and Bob Nadeau, but the most trips were by Heath Campbell who had seven wins over the weekend.
Hot Hooves - ROMAN CONQUEROR N   
Second win in a row in the Free For All ranks, this time from the 8-hole in a blistering 1:55.4.
Hot Barn - Shawn Gray
Mr. Gray handed over the reins this week and had four winners from five starts, each one setting a seasonal mark.

Week 4 (4/23/10 - 4/25/10) by 2009 Groom of the Year, Shannon Watson

Hot Hands - Kevin Switzer
Six wins on Saturday and 4 more Sunday, Switz seems to be unstoppable.
Hot Hooves - TROTTIN' TARZAN   
Two wins in a row, undefeated on the year, looked real solid.
Hot Barn - David Crochere
One of the hardest workers in the business with 3 wins, 2 seconds and a third out of 6 starts, stats say it all.

Week 3 (4/17/10 - 4/18/10) by 2009 Driver of the Year, Drew Campbell

Hot Hands - Shawn Gray
Tough week picking top drivers, everybody got a piece of the pie. Shawn won 4, Heath won 3 ( broken wing & all) but I have to say.... Rob & I didn't drive a bad race all weekend. (from the grandstand)!!!
Hot Hooves - MY GIFT TO YOU
A lot of us had our doubts from the 8 hole, won the top class 2 weeks in a row. Going to take a very good one to beat this steed, I think.
Hot Barn - Randy Bickmore
Again, no lay-overs. Steve Vafiades, Rod Cushing, John Nason, Wally Watson, Wendy Ireland. I love to see that! Good job to everyone. Anyway, see you guys this July 1st. Can't wait !!! Good luck.

Week 2 (4/10/10 - 4/11/10) by 2009 Amateur Driver of the Year, Todd Whitney

Hot Hands - Shawn Gray
Sixteen drives, six wins, three seconds and two thirds.
Hot Hooves - TUFF ENUFF HANOVER
He's been travelling back and forth to the Meadowlands; he had every reason to be worn out, a 1:59.4 trip today with the wind was a big trip
Hot Barn - Michael Hitchcock
He had a couple of favorites that should have hit the board and they did and he had a couple of bombs that shouldn't have hit the board and they did.

Week 1 (4/03/10 - 4/04/10) by 2009 Trainer of the Year, Randy Bickmore

Hot Hands - Rob Dinning
Comes back from New Jersey and starts out strong in Scarborough.
Hot Hooves - TSARINA
Comes to Maine and beats KEROGEN, the best trotter in Maine.
Hot Barn - Steven Vafaides
Looks like the beginning of another solid year